Harold and the Purple Crayon - Today at 3pm

The James V Brown Library and the Community Arts Center team up again to share in the celebration of wonderful children's literature.

The Community Arts Center's live theatre production of "Harold and the Purple Crayon" will be held on Sunday November 15th @ 3:00 p.m. Take a wild ride with Harold as he jets to Mars, joins the circus, and meets a king in an enchanted garden. For information and tickets to the Community Arts Center Program

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" was the first of seven delightful picture books by Crockett Johnson, following the zany adventures of an inventive young boy.

Resourceful and brave, Harold creates the world he wants to explore using nothing but his big purple crayon and his sky's-the-limit imagination. The "Harold" books have captivated families for more than fifty years, celebrating the imagination of children and the unique way they see the world.

Library Mini Golf - Fun for the Whole Family

Join in the fun Saturday, November 14 from 10am to 8pm , when 18 holes of mini golf will be built all over the library. Through the stacks, up and down stairs. The course will offer a fun time for families, and a trip through newly renovated areas you may not have yet explored.

Open to everyone, all ages are invited. $5 for each person. All funds raised support the James V. Brown Library. (+ more information )

Brown Library launches the Lego Club

It has been shown that children learn best through play and there is nothing more fun than playing and building with legos.

The James V. Brown Library is introducing a new program, “Lego Club.” Lego Club will be meeting for the first time starting on November 23rd and running for six weeks. The program will take place on Mondays from 4:15 to 5:15pm and run through December 28th in the Kathryn Siegel Welch Children’s Wing.

Lego Club is a time rich with opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and imagination building. With all of the fun that children are having, it may be surprising to know that legos provide a foundation for an educational adventure.

The program, for children ages 7 to 11 years old and their parents/caregivers will help build construction skills, improve vocabulary, and strengthen basic concepts including sorting, colors, shapes, and patterning knowledge all of which are crucial math skills.

They will also exercise their teamwork, problem solving, and decision making skills with opportunities for theme based building.

Last year was the 50th anniversary of the patenting of the lego brick. It is a perfect time to celebrate this classic toy that is in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Registration is required for this program and space is limited. Parents are required to remain in the Wing during the activity, however, during the sixth week they will be invited to build with their children.

SnapShot PA - Speak Up for Your Library

One Day in the Life of Pennsylvania Libraries

Please stop by your library today Wednesday, October 28 and tell us why libraries are important to you. All Pennslvania public libraries are participating in this one day event. We want your thought and opinions. So PLEASE stop in today and help us help you. Let your voice be heard.

Market Street Matinees presents

2pm on Sunday, October 25 and Wednesday, October 28
Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell, Patrick MageeWarner Bros.;
Directed by Stanley KubrickRated R; 137 minutes; 1971

Stanley Kubrick, creator of DR. STRANGELOVE and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, has reconfirmed his technical mastery in this merciless vision of the near future based on Anthony Burgess’ chilling novel. A sadistic murderer is caught and “rehabilitated” in a grisly government experiment in this mind-shattering drama.

Watch the trailer for Clockwork Orange

What’s Underground in PA

The James V. Brown Library will be holding a special program called “What’s Underground in PA” for youth in November and December. Victoria Thompson-Hess, youth services programming coordinator and recognized artist will lead 7 to 12 year olds through the program that gives them a chance to design and execute a ceramic tile mosaic that will be permanently installed on the large planter in the atrium entrance of the Kathryn Seigel Welch Children's Wing.

The mosaic will depict a cross-section view of the burrowing insects, animals, root systems of trees and other growing things found under the earth in Pennsylvania.

In addition, a representative of the Penn State Cooperative Extension's Master Gardeners as well as a professor of entymology from Lock Haven University will speak about topics related to the project including life cycles, PA's burrowing species of insects and animals and soils, native trees, and plant species.

The program will take place on November 14th, 21st, December 5th and 12th from 10:30 to noon. Participants must attend all four program dates.

Registration for this program is required and space is limited.
Click here to register or call the library at 326-0536.
This project is partially funded through a grant from the PA Council on the Arts and the City of Williamsport.

The City of Williamsport Cultural Grant Program is an initiative between the City of Williamsport and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agencey, the Williamsport-Lycoming Arts Council.

Friends of the Library Book Review Luncheon

On Friday, November 6, 2009, at 12:00 PM, Ms. Mary Ann Lampman, Associate Professor of Reading at Pennsylvania College of Technology, will speak about trends in children's literature. She will touch upon how to help children make connections between pictures and words, how certain books can be used to enhance learning about historical events or facts in the naturals sciences, and how to use children's stories and books to promote creative expression through various activities.

This talk will be an asset for new parents, grandparents, prospective teachers and home schoolers. It also might inspire some great gift ideas.

Ms. Lampman holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education from College Misericordia and a Master's Degree with a Reading Specialist's Certificate from Mansfield University. She has an extensive collection of children's books some of which she will be sharing with the audience. She will feature some of her favorite books, authors and illustrators.

The Friends’ Book Review Luncheons are held on the first Friday of each month in the Lowry Theatre on the third floor of the Welch Children's Wing. A light lunch, costing $5.00, may be reserved by calling the library at 326-0536, ext. 141, by 3:00 PM Wednesday, November 4. This is a firm deadline. Guests may choose to bring their own light lunch or may attend just the talk, which begins at 12:30. These programs are free and open to all.

The next book Review Luncheon will be on Friday, February 5, 2010, when Ned Coates will discuss "Dispelling the Myths of Native Americans".